The triple option on Colin Kaepernick’s contract

The first option with 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s contract is to let him play out the last year of his deal for about $1 million and then sign him next off-season to a whopping $20 million- to $22 million-a-year contract.

The second option is to sign Kaepernick now, eliminate the final year and get him a little cheaper, say between $14 million- to 16 million-a-year. This is the far more preferable option – it allows Kaepernick to play for a robust contract next year, and with Kaepernick taking a lower bit of the overall salary cap, it could allow the 49ers the ability to sign other players.

However, there’s one more option. Sign Kaepernick for a 2-year, $28 million to $30 million deal. This would allow the 49ers to assess Kaepernick’s development and let Kaepernick become a free agent when the salary cap stretches to $150 million per year (It was $123 million last season) in 2016.

If Kaepernick continues his ascension as a quarterback, he could possibly become the first $30 million-a-year quarterback. If he fails to develop or regresses, the 49ers could sign him to a lesser contract or not sign him at all.

Meanwhile, the 49ers could be setting cap room aside to sign the mega-deal in 2016.

Reportedly, Kaepernick is asking for $18 million right now, which is too much for him at this juncture. If Kaepernick doesn’t drop his demands, quarterback becomes a larger need in the draft, with the 49ers possibly taking one in the second or third round, or maybe even the first.

With the salary cap escalating in the next two seasons and Kaepernick being very good but not great, the options for a future deal for him become increasingly complex and intriguing. With Niners nation watching the Kaepernick contract dance is just starting and it’s likely to take plenty of twists and twirls before it’s resolved.